You can't quite see Maddie's small "Princess Lea" hairbuns, but Nick is on the Hannah Montana look...
This kids have been attending classes this summer at Tarrant County College. They are having a blast! Each day has a different theme like: sunglasses day, patriotic day, pajamas day, etc. Today is crazy hair day and Nick couldn't find Ted's Elvis (wig) 'helmet' so he put on this.
Our friends, The Wildes, invited us over for a Memorial Day birthday party for their daughter. They moved into our area right after we did 4 years ago and our kids have had always had a blast swimming or playing the Wii or sports. We enjoyed that day outside, grilling, and talking about ghosts (reference to our Williamsbury, VA Ghost-tour and to Don Wilde's ghostly experience in the Phillipines) amongst other engaging topics! Thanks, Wilde family!
Maddie was lucky enough to be cast as a "little girl" in this local high school musical. She went to rehearsals daily for 3 hours and all day Saturdays for about a month. I thought for sure she would be bored, but, as we are discovering, acting and singing are her loves, because she would say after an 8 hour rehearsal (where again, she had no lines), "I had a great time!"
She is currently rehearsing for a play with her middle school, a One Act play for a UIL (University Interscholastic League) competition this Friday. It is about the Halocaust and she plays a young child in a camp with other kids. She has rehearsed before school for over two months and after school for a month. So, she is at school from 7:30am until 5pm. Crazy!!!!!!! The school day here in TX is longer (the normal schedule is from 9-4pm for middle, and 7:50-2:50 for elementary) than anywhere we have ever lived. We don't love it! I miss the kids and want them home for a few more hours in the day--summer is coming and we are looking forward to sleeping in (til 7:30 at least) and swimming, College For Kids (at TCC were I work...more to come on that), grilling, hanging out, movie night, visiting friends and family, having NO plans! Yea!
One of my bookshelves is full of these books that I wish I could take a whole college course with these as the texts, sit down with other parents, and an experienced psychology teacher (let's say) and discuss the principles in them.
This first book about love language I have not read, but have read bits of and Ted and I have talked about our "love languages" which was so helpful to know specifically what makes him feel loved; and for him to know what kinds of actions or words make me feel really loved. I am going to a "Love Conference" tomorrow at the college campus I work on (I LOVE being part of a college campus!!!) and one session is on this book! Cool!
This book by Kevin Leman was recommended to me when Maddie was tiny by a dear friend, Amy Jones Bowers, who had a small brood already; this author is an active Christian who teaches real values and morals and has high expectations with a lot of LOVE.
This is my favorite book hands-down on active parenting: teaching kids (starting at age 3) to do every type of household chore, maintenance (car, house, yard), save money, cook, sew, work, own their own problems and mistakes, responsibility, reliability, dependability, etc. It is full of HUMOR, real-life situations (raising 4 boys) and some fabulous lists/plans for specific things kids can learn at each age so that by age 18, they are 100% independent and self-reliant. Thanks to Carrie Jensen Lowe for recommending this treasure of parenting!
This excellent book was one we read for a Time Out For Women bookclub back in about 2003 or 2004 in New Hampshire. Ted and I are re-reading it together and loving the principles of solid relationships, integrity, honesty, kindness, patience, forgiveness coupled with scriptures. I find myself reviewing the many quotes and principles that I underlined the first time I read it and wondering why I don't remember reading them??
I wish my memory was better, but I find that is only in practicing and discussing and reviewing what I love about these books that I begin to incorporate them into my life. We have got down the phrase "Validate" and are working daily on validating our children (in their woes particularly) and letting them feel like their pain or fears or discouragement is valid, is accepted and understood by us; and that usually lets them lift themselves (on their own) out of their discomfort or sadness. 
We never got a photo of her new bike (last Fall) that she bought with grandparents' money. She wanted a beach cruiser after seeing her cousin's and aunt's bikes. So she is ready to hit the road for the swim.
Here's where I got the title to this blog entry:
She is with Ethan, Alex (back) and Jordan. We love these guys!!
Flips and flops...
immune boosting foods/supplements.
These are our whole wheat (1/2 white flour) pancakes made with 1/2 c. of butternut squash, flax seed, chopped walnuts or pecans or almonds, frozen (thawed or fresh when in season) blueberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. They are delicious! The kids eat them without syrup most of the time. 
Baseball season is upon us again! Ted loves coaching and is again, this Spring, coaching Nick's team. He got to pick the team name (from a short list) and picked the Dodgers. Practice is twice a week and now games have started. Nick plays 2nd base and is hitting a lot better this year. More confidence, I think, due to his increased abilities at basketball and football...it spreads, which is good. I almost think Ted enjoys the season more than Nick: he is a natural out there encouraging the boys, yelling out things to rally the boys (with the gusto that makes me think of Jeff, his brother, who used to roar like a dinosaur through a giant PVC pipe to the nieces and nephews in Ma and Pa Buck's backyard). Ted then checks out games and scores of other teams so he knows where their strengths and weaknesses are.
When they won their first game, Nick came home and was singing, "We are the Champions, my friend," with full dance moves and closed eyes. He was SO proud!! Play ball!
This is Maddie feeding the giraffe out of our sunroof...we all fed him. Giraffes are so TALL and have LONG tongues that hang out...
Here's a gorgeous shot. These animals are so beautiful! I found myself staring at their colors and movements and wondering how amazing the Creator of them all is: color, poise, motion, stripes, spots...what an thrilling thing to do!
Um, hello??
This black line under his/her chin is my car window. Nice nostrils...
and groovy horns...as you will see in the next photos, there are some swingin' horns going on in the wild!
One horn down, one up...is that how they are supposed to be?
This guys' "chili bowl" haircut was cracking us up! Toupeé, anyone?
Look at these gorgeous (and dangerous) horns. Don't get too close to this chick--
Oh, the zebras were VERY friendly. Ted had to caution one that stuck his head inside and sniffed his shirt, his pants, his pockets..."that's not a pellet, my friend!"
We were lucky enough to have my mom come for Spring Break. Just had to include this one of her trying to pose with the kids at our house, but losing her balance...needless to say she and I did some yoga and went on some morning walks. hee hee
Lots of love going on this week!
Having a healthy, beautiful little boy!
A few days old, here in our 1st purchase of home (condo) in Manchester, NH
where Nick was born during a weekend of blizzardy snows and cold.
At age 2, he had the most beautiful, blonde, curly hair.
Notice he has red shorts on OVER his jean overalls.
He fought to have them like that.
This was at Maddie's birthday party--at the Londonderry Children's Museum near our home in NH. Nick has his fedora on, driving a fire truck...
Here we are at a favorite pasttime: Baboosic Lake in Amherst, NH.
Some years later, Nick and our family went to one of the many Harry Potter Barnes and Noble parties (Southlake, TX) where he took these glasses and wore them with a cape to the local library's Harry Potter contest a few days later and won first page. It earned him a front page photo in the small communities newspaper we get!
Elvis fan, Son of Elvis fan of the Fans of Elvis, 2006
Now we go back: Easter day, Deerfield, NH, 2004
San Juan Capistrano, CA with cousin, Ellie; 2005
Suumer of 2004, age 3, at Connecticut's Day Out With Thomas (the Tank Engine). Here he is with Maddie and the local fire engine. He LOVED Thomas for some years.
On Friday night before his birthday, we ordered his favorites for family dinner. Ted asked him to say the blessing on the food and he started out like this:
We have a family tradition of having a piñata on birthdays for the party. Here is Nick's...Ted couldn't find a sports' piñata at Walmart so he got this "little birdie" (Nick theme song from Charlie Brown Thanksgiving...Woodstock song if you remember it; it was super retro, late 60s/early 70s sounding and Nick hasn't forgotten it since. He sings it and then changes the name of the tune, "Little birdie" to sports' figure names, like "Dennis Pitta"...)
We made a total of 3 cakes which you will see momentarily...Nick helped me make all of them, measuring, pouring, beating. He helps me cook more than Maddie, though she can cook several things and does a great job making creative, colorful meals and table decorations. :)
Nice bubble-wrap head!
Nick got this Patriot's football and was in heaven. He responded just as Ted predicted to Maddie he would: "Cha-ching! Patriots!"
Making his wish--
This is the chocolate chip cookie foot ball cake we made for his friend-party. I figured we might need 2 cakes for the 12 friends he invited. This one has melted chocolate chips thinly spread over the cookie. The white is our cream cheese frosting. Yummy!
Since sack racing and 3-legged racing was so popular at Maddie's last (cousin) birthday, we decided to do it again for Nick. The kids had a blast hopping and racing...though the wind was revving up for a huge hailstorm and tornado-watch later this very night.
The opening of gifts was very interesting in this wind--we had to grab up every shred of torn birthday wrap and card so they wouldn't immediately blow 100 yards away.
Here is a cute shot of most of Nick's party guests. 
Today we celebrate (and all weekend) the 8th birthday of a boy who makes us laugh, who hugs and kisses his mama still, who loves to read, who loves to draw, who writes in his new journal with incredible depth for a youngster, who has a meticulous moral compass (already), who writes letters often to relatives, who wrote that his talents are "singing, dancing, and football" on his Primary Spotlight survey, who loves to play all sports, who loves story-time at night, and who has a repertoire of very funny faces!
